The Central Statistical Office has taken an important step toward strengthening evidence-based policymaking and improving the measurement of poverty through a specialised workshop aimed at developing the country’s first National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).
The five-day workshop, held from May 25–29, 2026, brought together statisticians, policymakers and technical experts from the Central Statistical Office (CSO) of the Ministry of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development; the Ministry of the People, Social Development and Family Services, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI).
For decades, poverty measurement in Trinidad and Tobago has relied primarily on monetary indicators based on income and consumption. While these measures remain important, they do not fully reflect the lived realities of deprivation experienced by many individuals and households. The Multidimensional Poverty Index offers a more comprehensive approach by examining multiple aspects of well-being, including education, health, housing conditions, employment and access to essential services.
The workshop forms part of a broader national initiative to develop a Trinidad and Tobago-specific MPI that reflects the country’s unique social and economic realities. Through the training, participants gained practical and technical expertise in the internationally recognised Alkire-Foster methodology, which underpins the United Nations’ Global Multidimensional Poverty Index and is currently used in more than 50 countries worldwide.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development, Aarti Bedassie-Maharaj, in her opening remarks, noted that the initiative represents a significant advancement in strengthening the country’s poverty statistics and policy framework.
Mr. L. O’Reilly Lewis, Director, Projects Department, Caribbean Development Bank stated that “Developing an MPI strengthens international capacity and supports better decision making across governments and amongst development partners. It helps turn data into insight and insight into action. The MPI helps to share where action is most needed and where investment can make the most difference. The CDB is fully committed to supporting Trinidad and Tobago in this journey. We will continue working with the government and our partners to strengthen institutions, deepen collaboration and advance inclusive, resilient economies.”
The training is expected to deliver lasting benefits for Trinidad and Tobago while enhancing the Central Statistical Office’s datasets.
For Trinidad and Tobago, the development of a National MPI will provide policymakers with a powerful tool to identify vulnerable populations, understand the interconnected nature of poverty, monitor the effectiveness of social programmes and track progress toward national development priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The index will also help government agencies design more responsive and cost-effective interventions by identifying specific areas where individuals and households face deprivation.
For the CSO, the initiative strengthens institutional capacity in advanced poverty measurement and analysis. Participants received hands-on training in the collection, analysis and interpretation of multidimensional poverty data, enhancing the organisation’s ability to produce high-quality, internationally comparable statistics. The workshop also supports the CSO’s ongoing mandate to provide timely, relevant and reliable data that informs national decision-making.
The development of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is closely linked to the Household Budgetary Survey/Survey of Living Conditions (HBS/SLC), as the survey provides the main household and individual-level information needed to identify and measure deprivations experienced by the population. While the HBS component captures important data on household income, expenditure, consumption patterns, and economic welfare, the SLC component provides broader information on living conditions, including education, health, employment, housing, access to basic services, and other aspects of well-being. Together, these data sources allow poverty to be examined from both a monetary and non-monetary perspective.
The MPI builds on the HBS/SLC by using selected indicators from the dataset to determine whether households or individuals are deprived across multiple dimensions of life.
Upon completion of the programme, the participants will be equipped to compute and analyse Trinidad and Tobago’s National MPI. The resulting index will provide valuable insights into poverty across different population groups, including by sex, age, geographic location and disability status, enabling more precise and inclusive policymaking.
The initiative reflects a collaborative partnership among the Central Statistical Office; the Ministry of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development; the Caribbean Development Bank and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, all working toward a common goal of strengthening data-driven development planning and improving human development outcomes in Trinidad and Tobago.
As Trinidad and Tobago continues its journey toward sustainable and inclusive development, the National Multidimensional Poverty Index will serve as a critical tool for ensuring that no one is left behind.
